Methods and apparatus for implementing an access point supporting multiple communications protocols

ABSTRACT

Access points can be mounted in a variety of locations or orientations and can support multiple communications protocols. In some embodiments, an access point includes a main housing and a front housing. The main and front housing are connected by a hinge. A Wi-Fi antenna is included in the front housing in some embodiments. The access point is configured for use in either an open or closed position. When mounted in a vertical position, the front housing can be lowered into a horizontal position, which facilitates a preferred orientation of an antenna with respect to the ground. A first set of cooling fins serves to maintain components of the access point offset from a wall to which the access point is mounted. This facilitates airflow. Additional fins act as a spacer between the main housing and the front housing when the access point is used in a closed position. This facilitates air flow around both sides of the main housing.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/403,544, filed May 4, 2019, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/667,315 filedMay 4, 2018. The contents of these prior applications are consideredpart of this application, and are hereby expressly incorporated byreference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present application is directed to access point methods andapparatus and, more particularly, to access points which can be mountedin a variety of locations and orientations and which can supportmultiple communications protocols, e.g., Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi.

BACKGROUND

Access points which often have flat backs to allow for mounting to awall. Such devices can be subject to overheating issues with limitedopportunity for air cooling due to the flat mounting to the wall.

While some antennas can work well while mounted vertically, in the caseof a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) antenna array intended to transmit todevices below the access point a horizontal orientation of the array canbe desirable from a radio transmission coverage area perspective.

While it would be desirable to allow for vertical mounting of an accesspoint to a wall or pole, it would also be desirable if it were possibleto have a BLE antenna array in the horizontal position for access pointswhich are likely to be mounted above devices which are likely tocommunicate to the access point.

In view of the above there is a need for new access points which addressone or more of the cooling and/or antenna array positioning issuesdiscussed above.

SUMMARY

An Access Point in some embodiments includes a housing, e.g., awaterproof main housing with cooling fins and a front housing whichincludes one or more antennas. A hinge allows movement of the fronthousing so that it can be positioned in a vertical position against themain housing in a horizontal position, e.g., parallel to the ground at90 degrees to the vertically oriented main housing.

Indoor embodiments can use the same or similar housing but it need notbe waterproof in the case of indoor applications. A Wi-Fi antenna may beand sometimes are attached through connectors on the main housing. Themain housing and/or WiFi antenna can be mounted to a pole or wall.Alternatively an internal Wi-Fi antenna included in the front portion ofthe housing in at least some but not necessarily all embodiments can be,and sometimes is, used to support Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi. In someembodiments a Bluetooth antenna assembly, e.g., a BLE array, is includedin a moveable front housing with one or more LED status indicators beingmounted in the front housing and visible from the outside of the fronthousing. The LED status indicator(s) can and sometimes do indicate thatthe access point is active, e.g., powered on. Flashing of the indicatorcan be used to communicate various status conditions. While one LEDindicator is included in various exemplary embodiments, additionalindicator lights may be and sometimes are included and used tocommunicate particular status information such as Wi-Fi status active,Bluetooth status active, in addition to general power on which may beand sometimes is indicated by a third LED. The front housing assembly issecured to the main housing by a hinge. The hinge in some embodiments islocated at the bottom of the main and front housings. Power and dataconnections are provided via a secure waterproof cable connection, e.g.,passing through a watertight tube between the main and front housings,to allow the components in the main and front housings to interact. Theaccess point can be wall or pole mounted.

The main front housing, which includes the Bluetooth antenna assembly,includes one or more antenna elements used to transmit and/or receiveBluetooth signals, e.g., BLE signals, and can be used in a vertical orhorizontal position. The position of the front housing is detected andreported to a processor in the access point and, optionally, one or moredevices coupled to the access point by an interface and/or Wi-Fisignals. The position is detected by a sensor or sensor array located inthe front housing. The sensors may and sometimes do include one or moreaccelerometers. The detected position of the Bluetooth and/or includedWi-Fi antenna is known from the reported housing position information,e.g., relative to the ground, with the positions being detected bysensors in the access point and communicated to one or more deviceswhich use the access point or process measurements of signals receivedfrom the access point. Thus the position information which allows forthe Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi antenna position, e.g., vertical, horizontalor at some angle relative to horizontal, being useful in facilitatingposition determinations made from signals received from the access pointsince the RF coverage/path loss for signals transmitted by the accesspoint can be estimated by taking into consideration the position of theantenna(s) relative to the ground. The position of cooling fins betweenthe front and main housing portions allows air to pass through thedevice and cool both the main and front assemblies.

Water tight connectors allow for the supply of power and antennaconnections. Cooling fins on the back of the main housing which may besecured against a wall allow for air to pass between the wall and mainaccess point housing even when secured directly to a wall. Thus air canflow around each side of the main and front housing in both wall andpoll deployments since the arrangement of cooling fins allow for airflow between and behind the front and main housings and behind the mainbody housing. Air can also pass along the front of the front body sinceit is normally exposed in either the open or closed positions accesspoint modes of operation. A pressure vent is included to allow ventingin the case of pressure build up, e.g., due to heating, without lettingwater in. The Bluetooth antenna can be used in the vertical orhorizontal front assembly positions with knowledge of the position beingknown from the position sensor(s) allowing the orientation of theBluetooth front assembly and antenna to be taken into consideration whenmaking coverage and/or Bluetooth coverage area predictions which can beused, e.g., to facilitate location determination. AccessPoint—supporting Wifi, e.g., In some embodiments the access pointssupports 802.11 and Bluetooth, e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)communications protocols and wireless signals.

Numerous features and embodiments are described in the detaileddescription which follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a set of diagrams showing various perspectives of an exemplaryaccess point implemented in accordance with one embodiment of theinvention that includes a hinge connecting a main housing and a fronthousing thereby allowing the front housing portion to be deployed in ahorizontal position even when the main housing is mounted to a pole orwall.

FIG. 2 is a enlarged view 1012 of an exemplary access point 1000 of FIG.1 implemented in accordance with the invention but with a water tighttube 255 being used to form a water tight flexible passage from theinside of the main housing 102 to the inside of the front housing 104through which wires pass. An external Wi-Fi antenna maybe and sometimesis attached through watertight connector 140 included at the top of themain housing 102

FIG. 3 is a set of diagrams showing various perspectives of theexemplary access point shown in FIG. 1 in a closed position.

FIG. 4 shows a set of components which may be, and sometimes are,included in the main housing and front housings of the exemplary accesspoints shown in the other figures of the application.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary access point such as the one shown in FIG. 1,2 or 3 mounted to a poll.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary access point which is the same or similar tothe one shown in FIG. 5 but with a fastener that can be used to securethe front housing to the main housing allowing the access point to bekept, e.g., secured by the fastener, in a closed position.

FIG. 7 shows various features of an access point implemented inaccordance with the invention which are visible when the access point isin an open position with the front housing being deployed to be in ahorizontal position while the main housing is arranged vertically andsecured to a pole.

FIG. 8 shows how a bracket can be used to hold the front housing of anaccess point such as the one shown in FIG. 7 or the other figures, in ahorizontal position when the access point is open and the main housingis mounted to a pole with the bracket limiting the amount of downwardtravel of the front housing.

FIG. 9 is a side view of an exemplary outdoor access point implementedin accordance with the invention with the access point being in a closedposition.

FIG. 10 is upward facing view of an access point of the presentinvention where the bottom of the access point can be seen along withthe fins which allow air to pass up through the access point coolingboth the front and rear surfaces of the main housing in which thecentral processing unit and various other heat generating components ofthe access point are located.

FIG. 11 is a side cut away view of an exemplary access point, such asthe access point of any of the other figures, in which the antenna arrayin the front housing can be seen and various other components in themain housing can be seen.

FIG. 12 is a view of an exemplary access point, such as the access pointof any of the other figures, with the front cover being shown astransparent allowing the antenna array and other elements in the fronthousing to be seen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments are directed to an access point which can receiveand transmit wireless signals, e.g., Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi signals. Theaccess point in an outdoor embodiment is waterproof. The indoorembodiment need not be and sometimes is not water proof.

FIG. 1 shows various views, 1001, 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008 and 1010 of anaccess point 1000. Other figures show the same access point or a similaraccess point. It should be appreciated that features shown in thedifferent illustrated embodiments shown in different figures can be usedtogether in a single access point.

Accordingly, while the exemplary access points shown in differentfigures may have some different features, the features may be combinedand used together. Given the commonality between the various illustratedaccess points shown in the various figures of the application, referencenumbers which are the same in different figures are used to refer to thesame or a similar component. Accordingly once an element shown in onefigure, and identified by a reference number, is discussed andexplained, the element identified using the same reference number in alater figure may not be discussed again with regard to the later figurefor the sake of brevity.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an access point 1000 that supports Wi-Fi,e.g., 802.11 and Bluetooth. In some embodiments an access point 1000includes a main housing 102 including an outer shell and an inner cover106. The main housing is also sometimes referred to as a main body. Theaccess point also includes a front housing 104 which is connected to themain housing 102 by a hinge 108. The front housing 104 is held at 90degrees in some embodiments to the main housing 102 by a bracket 117that controls how far the front housing 104 can swing down from the mainhousing 102 when in the open position. On some embodiments such as theone shown in FIG. 2 , a waterproof tube 255 is used as a passagewaybetween the main housing 102 which includes main housing shell 105 andthe front housing 104.

The components of the access point 1000 and their arrangement can bebetter understood from the various perspectives 1001, 1002, 1004, 1006,1008 and 1010 shown in FIG. 1 . In each of the FIG. 1 perspectives theaccess point 1000 is shown in an open position, e.g., with the fronthousing 104 being positioned perpendicular to the main housing 102 whichincludes the main housing outer shell 105. This arrangement, e.g., anopen access point arrangement, is commonly used when the access point ispole mounted or mounted to a wall of a building or room.

By positioning the front housing 104 in a horizontal orientation, a BLEantenna array and/or WiFi antenna in the front housing 104 are wellpositioned for transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals fromdevices positioned below the access point 1000.

View 1001 is a first side view showing the access point 1000 in an openposition. View 1002 is a downward looking view showing the top of themain housing and the inside cover 132 of the front housing 104. View1004 is a front view with inside cover 106 of the main housing beingvisible. View 1006 is an upward facing view showing what might be seenby looking up when the access point 1000 is mounted to a wall or poleand the access point is in the open position. Note that in this positionone or more status indicators 206 which may be and sometimes areimplemented as LEDs can be observed from the ground when the accesspoint is mounted at a height which is normally above a person's head,e.g., 8 feet, 10 feet or more above the ground. Plugs 300, 301 and 302which can be removed for connecting to conduit or for other reasons,e.g., to allow for the supply of power to the access point, are visiblein view 1006. View 1008 is a perspective view of the open access point1000. View 1010 is a second side view of the access point 1000. The mainhousing 102 and front housing 104 are water tight enclosures in outdoorembodiments. In the case of indoor embodiments the access point 1000 canuse the same or similar housing to that of the outdoor embodiment butthe main and front housing 102, 104 need not be water tight in the caseof indoor applications. In the case of an indoor embodiment the flexiblewatertight tube 255 shown in FIG. 2 for protecting wireless extendingfrom the main housing 102 to the components in the front housing 104 canbe omitted.

Depending on the embodiment a Wi-Fi antenna is either included in thefront housing 104 or an external Wi-Fi antenna can be coupled to the APvia a waterproof antenna connector located in the top of the mainhousing 102 in some embodiments. The main housing 102 is formed of anouter shell 105 and an inner cover 106. The inner cover 106 can beinserted into and secured to the outer cover 105 via screws 110. Invarious embodiments the inner cover 106 of the main housing includescooling fins 120′ which like the cooling fins 120 of the main housingshell 105 radiate heat and facilitate the circulation of air. Given thepresence of cooling fins 120, 120′ air flow over both sides of the mainhousing 102 in which heat generating components are positionedregardless of the mounting arrangement and whether or not the accesspoint is used in an open or closed position. An optional gasket can beand sometimes is placed between the outer shell 105 and inner cover 106to make the main housing water tight. The outer cover 105 includes aplurality of cooling fins 120 on the outside surface of the outer cover105 arranged so that they are in a vertical position when the accesspoint 100 is mounted to a wall or pole as illustrated in FIG. 6 . Theinner cover 106 also includes a plurality of cooling fins 120′ which arearranged so that the fins are in a vertical position when the accesspoint is mounted to a wall or pole.

The fins 120 serve as a spacer to keep the internal components of theaccess point off a wall when they are mounted to a wall and to allow forair flow through the fins for cooling even when the access point 100 ismounted directly to a wall. The fins also serve as a heat radiatingelement providing more cooling surface area for heat transfer than wouldbe available if a flat surface was used for the outer shell 105 of themain housing 102. The additional fins 120′ on the inside cover 106 ofthe main body 102 act as a spacer between the surface of the inner cover106 and the front housing when the access point 100 is used in a closedposition. In this way the main housing 102 will have air flow on bothsides through the fins 120 and/or 120′ by natural convection when theaccess point 1000 is mounted whether the front housing 104 is in an up,e.g., closed, position or down, e.g., open position.

The front housing 104 includes outer shell 130 and an inner cover 132which are secured together by screws 136. A gasket maybe and sometimesis used between the inner cover 132 and the outer shell 130 of the fronthousing 104 to form a water tight enclosure. An external Wi-Fi antennamaybe and sometimes is attached through a watertight connector 140included at the top of the main housing 102. A pressure release valve155 is included in some embodiments to allow for automatic venting ofthe main body 102 in the event of changes in atmospheric pressure orchanges in pressure due to changes in height of the access point as itis installed on a poll or another support structure such as the wall ofan outside wall of building or room in a building.

An external Wi-Fi antenna maybe and sometimes is attached through awatertight connector 140 included at the top of the main housing 102which can be mounted to a pole 160 or wall is see, e.g., FIGS. 5 and 6showing pole mounting. As illustrated in FIG. 4 , alternatively aninternal Wi-Fi antenna 202 included in the front housing 104 can be usedto support Wi-Fi. A Bluetooth antenna assembly 204, e.g., a BLE array ormatrix, is included in the moveable front housing 104 with one or moreLED status indicators 206 being mounted in the front housing 104 andvisible from the outside of the front housing 104. The LED statusindicator(s) can and sometimes do indicate that the access point isactive, e.g., powered on. The flashing of the indicator can be used tocommunicate various status conditions. While one LED indicator 206 isshown in FIG. 1 and various other figures, additional indicator lightsmay be and sometimes are included and used to communicate particularstatus information such as Wi-Fi status active, Bluetooth status active,in addition to general power on which maybe and sometimes is indicatedby a third LED. The front housing assembly 104 is secured to the mainhousing by one or more hinges located 108, in some embodiments, at thebottom of the main and front housings 102, 104.

Power can be supplied to the access point 1000 by removing one of theplugs 302 and running a power line from an electrical conduit screwedinto the threaded opening where the plug 300, 301 or 302 was located andconnecting the power line to the components in the main body to supplypower there to.

Power and data connections between the components in the main housing102 and front housing 104 are provided via a secure waterproof cableconnection, e.g., passing through a watertight tube 255 between the mainand front housings, to allow the components in the main and fronthousings to interact.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view 1012 of one exemplary embodiment of theaccess point 1000 of FIG. 1 with a watertight tube 255 being used toprotect wires extending between the main housing 102 and front housing104. In the FIG. 2 example a faster 107, which can be a snap, screw orother type of fastener, and which can be inserted or snapped intofastener receiver 107′ is visible. The location of fastener 107 andfastener receiver 107′ can vary depending on the embodiment. In the casewhere the fastener 107 is a screw the fastener receiver 107′ maybe athreaded hole.

FIG. 3 is a set of diagrams showing various perspectives 1014, 1016,1018, 1020, 1022, 1024, 1026, 1028 of the exemplary access point 1000shown in FIG. 1 and various other figures in a closed position. Thevarious numbered components shown in FIG. 3 have already been discussedwith regard to FIG. 1 and thus will not be discussed again with regardto FIG. 3 .

FIG. 4 , is a block diagram 400 showing the components 402 included inthe main housing 104 and the components 404 included in the fronthousing 102 of the access point 1000 shown in FIG. 1 and the otherfigures. As previously discussed wires, e.g., of one or more buses,connect the components in the main 102 and front housing 104. The wires272, 274, 276, 278 and/or 280 can and sometimes do pass through thewaterproof tube 255 shown in FIG. 2 . The dashed line 271 represents theconnection between components in the main housing 102 and front housing104, e.g., via the tube 255. In some embodiments the components 402included in the main body are mounted on a printed circuit board. Thecomponents 402 in the main body 102 include a trusted platform module(TPM) 230, master control unit (MCU) 232, memory 234, central processingunit (CPU) 208, Wi-Fi radio or radios 238, a Wi-Fi scan radio 240, a BLEradio 250, console ports and LEDs 236 and Ethernet ports 210. In variousembodiments, the CPU, WiFi radios and BLE radio are mounted in awatertight cavity of the main body 102 where the cavity is formed by avoid between the outer shell 105 and cover 106. The pressure vent 155vents the cavity to the outside environment thereby avoiding pressurebuild up in the cavity and/or pressure equalization between the cavityand an environment in which the access point 1000 is located, e.g.,mounted.

The TPM 230 is a chip that stores encryption keys, e.g., RSA encryptionkeys, specific to the access point for hardware authentication. The CPU208 and/or MCU 232 control the access point to receive and transmitsignals, e.g., WIFI and/or BLE signals and to communicate information,e.g., via an Ethernet port 210 to/from a network device and/or theInternet. The components 402 inside the main housing 102 are coupled tothe components 404 in the front housing 104 via cables or ports whichextend through the main housing 102 in a manner that allows for awatertight seal in at least some embodiments. The components 404 in thefront housing 104 include antennas 202, 204, 406 and/or other componentssuch as tilt sensor 212 and LED or LEDs 206 which provide a statusindication. In some embodiments a water tight tube or enclosure 255 asillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 7 , is used to protect cables 272, 274, 276,278, 280 as they pass from the main body 102 including outer shell 105,to the front housing 104. Tube/enclosure 255 is used to form a watertight flexible passage from the inside of the main housing 102 to theinside of the front housing 104 while the cooling fins 120 on the mainbody 102 and cooling fins 120′ on the cover 106 allow the componentsincluded in the compartment formed by the main body 102 and cover 106 todissipate heat.

The access point 1000 of FIG. 1 and the other Figures can be wall orpole mounted. FIGS. 5 and 6 include diagrams 500, 600, respectively,showing exemplary access points mounted to a pole 160. The mountedaccess points can be the same or similar to the access points shown inany of the other figures. Note that in the FIG. 6 example a screw, snapor other fastener 117 is positioned on the side rather than on the topof the access point and can be used to secure the access point fronthousing 104 in a closed position.

FIG. 7 is a diagram 700 showing an exemplary access point which maybethe same or similar to the access point shown in any of the otherfigures in a open position with a retaining bracket 117 being shown andthe waterproof cover 255 also being shown. In the FIG. 7 example a screw708 is used to hold the bracket 117 in a position in which the bracketis secured when the access point shown in FIG. 7 is in the closedposition. Note that recess 701 prevents the head of the screw 708interfering with the front housing 104 when the access point is in theclosed position. When setting the access point front cover 104 into thehorizontal position, screw 708 will be removed and used to secure thebracket 117 to the front cover by screwing the screw 708 into threadedshaft/hole 702. Note that in FIG. 7 the inside cover 706 of the fronthousing 104 includes standoffs 704 to maintain proper spacing betweenthe inside cover 704 of the front housing and the inside cover 106 ofthe main body 102 which includes outer shell 105.

Referring now to FIG. 8 , a diagram 800 shows the exemplary access pointof FIG. 7 with the bracket 117 deployed to maintain the front housing104 in a horizontal position. Arrow 801 represents the fact that as partof deploying the front housing 104 into the horizontal position thecover will be hinged outward from the upright closed position to thehorizontal position shown in FIG. 8 .

FIG. 11 is a side cut away view of an exemplary access point, such asthe access point of any of the other figures, in which the antenna arrayin the front housing can be seen and various other components in themain housing can be seen.

FIG. 12 is a view of an exemplary access point, such as the access pointof any of the other figures, with the front cover being shown astransparent allowing the antenna array and other elements in the fronthousing to be seen.

The main front housing, as shown in FIG. 11 , includes the Bluetoothantenna assembly, includes one or more antenna elements used to transmitand/or receive Bluetooth signals, e.g., BLE signals, and can be used ina vertical or horizontal position. The position of the front housing 104is detected and reported to a processor in the access point 208 and,optionally, one or more devices coupled to the access point by aninterface e.g., Ethernet Ports 210 and/or Wi-Fi signals. The position isdetected by a sensor 212 or sensor array located in the front housing104. The sensors 212 may and sometimes do include one or moreaccelerometers. The detected position of the Bluetooth and/or includedWi-Fi antenna is known from the reported housing position information,e.g., relative to the ground, with the positions being detected bysensors in the access point and communicated to one or more deviceswhich use the access point or process measurements of signals receivedfrom the access point. The height from the ground and/or GPS determinedlocation maybe determined and reported by sensors 212 in addition to thetilt or angle of the front housing 104. Thus from the angle of thehousing 104 the orientation or angle to the ground maybe known while GPSor other sensor information may provide the height and location of theaccess point 100 in the environment. The front housing tilt informationprovides Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi antenna position orientationinformation, e.g., vertical, horizontal or at some angle relative tohorizontal, which is useful in understanding the radiation pattern whichwill be generated by the access point 100. Such information can beimportant in facilitating position determinations made from signalsreceived from the access point since the RF coverage and/or path lossfor signals transmitted by the access point can be estimated taking intoconsideration the position of the antenna(s) relative to the ground.

FIG. 9 shows a side view 900 of an exemplary outdoor access point, whichis the same or similar to the access point of FIG. 1 or the otherfigures.

FIG. 10 is upward facing view 1100 of an access point which is the sameor similar to the access point of the other figures. The bottom of theaccess point can be seen along with the fins 120, 120′ which allow airto pass up through the access point 1000 cooling both the front and rearsurfaces of the main housing in which the central processing unit andvarious other heat generating components of the access point arelocated.

The FIG. 10 is an internal antenna version of a closed outdoor accesspoint 1000 which has cooling fins between the front and main housingportions allows air to pass through the device and cool both the mainand front assemblies. Water tight connectors allow for the supply ofpower and antenna connections 140. Cooling fins on the back of the mainhousing 102 which maybe be secured against a wall allow for air to passbetween the wall and main access point housing even when secureddirectly to a wall. Thus air can flow around each side of the main andfront housing in both wall and poll deployments since the arrangement ofcooling fins allow for air flow between and behind the front housing 104and main housing 102. Air can also pass along the front of the frontbody since it is normally exposed in either the open or closed positionsaccess point modes of operation. A pressure vent 155 is included toallow venting in the case of pressure build up, e.g., due to heating,without letting water in.

FIG. 11 is a side cut away view 1200 of an exemplary access point whichcan be the same or similar to the access point 1000 shown in FIG. 1 orany of the other figures. In FIG. 11 the antenna elements of the BLEantenna array 204 are represented by discs included in the front housing104. WiFi antennas are represented by rectangular blocks 281. Alsovisible is mounting board 1208, e.g., a printed circuit or other rigidboard, to which the antenna elements 204, 281 are mounted. In the FIG.11 example the front housing 104 also includes a position sensor 212.While WiFi antenna elements are present an external WiFi antenna can beconnected to antenna terminals 1202 and used instead of the internalWiFi antenna elements 281. Board 1204 represents a rigid board to whichthe components 402 in the main housing including the CPU 208 can be andsometimes are secured. FIG. 12 is a view 1300 of an exemplary accesspoint, such as the access point 1000 of any of the other figures, withthe front cover being shown as transparent allowing the BLE antennaarray 204, WiFi antennas 281, tilt sensor 212 and other elements in thefront housing to be seen. The Bluetooth antenna array 204 as shown inFIG. 12 can be used in the vertical or horizontal front assemblypositions with knowledge of the position being known from the positionsensor 212 allowing the orientation of the front housing 104 and thusthe components included such as antennas 204, 281 to be taken intoconsideration when making WiFi coverage and/or Bluetooth coverage areapredictions that can be used, e.g., to facilitate locationdetermination.

While in various embodiments the main housing 102 is connected to thefront housing 104 via a hinge 108, it should be appreciated however thatthe hinge 108 could be, and in some embodiments is, secured to the innercover 106 which would still allow the front portion 104 to move relativeto the components in the main body 102.

In some embodiments a screw, clip or other reusable fastener 107 is usedto secure the front housing 104 in a closed position against the mainbody when the access point 100 is used in a closed position. Thefastener 107 is located at the top center of the outside cover andsecures the cover to the main body 102 or inners cover 106. The clip 107can be snapped or unsnapped by pressing the outer housing 104 againstthe main body 102 or pulling on the other housing 104 to move the outerhousing 104 to the open position. A receiver portion 107′ of the clip107 maybe and sometimes is included on the main body 102 or inner cover106 at a location where it will contact the clip 107.

Numbered List of Exemplary Apparatus Embodiments

Numbered Embodiment 1: An access point comprising a main housing (102)including cooling fins (120), a first cover (106) including cooling fins(120′) sealing said main housing (102); and a moveable front housing(104).

Numbered Embodiment 2: The access point of numbered embodiment 1,wherein said moveable front housing (104) is coupled to the main housing(102) or said inner cover (106) by a hinge (108).

Numbered Embodiment 3: The access point of numbered embodiment 1,wherein said access point includes: a central processing unit (208) andat least one radio (238 or 240) mounted in said main housing (102)

Numbered Embodiment 4: The access point of numbered embodiment 3,wherein said main housing includes: a memory (234); and an Ethernet port(210).

Numbered Embodiment 5: The access point of numbered embodiment 4,further comprising: a least one LED (236) included in the main housing,said at least one LED (236) being visible from the outside of said mainhousing (102) and indicating a status condition of said access point.

Numbered Embodiment 6: The access point of numbered embodiment 1,further comprising: a first antenna element (element of array 204 or281) positioned inside said front housing (104).

Numbered Embodiment 7: The access point of numbered embodiment 6,further comprising: a tilt or position sensor (212) mounted in saidfront housing (104) for determining the orientation of said fronthousing.

Numbered Embodiment 8: The access point of numbered embodiment 6,wherein at least one antenna (204) is part of a BLE antenna matrix.

Numbered Embodiment 9: The access point of numbered embodiment 8,further comprising: a Wi-Fi antenna (281) mounted in said front housing(104).

Numbered Embodiment 10: The access point of numbered embodiment 9,further comprising: a water tight flexible tube (255) coupling theinterior of the main body (102) to the interior of the front housing(104).

Numbered Embodiment 11: The access point of numbered embodiment 10,wherein the main body (102) is movably connected to the front housing(104) by a pair of hinges (108).

Numbered Embodiment 12: The access point of numbered embodiment 11,further comprising: a bracket (117), said bracket securing the fronthousing (104) at a position which is at most 90 degrees with respect tothe main body (102) when the main body is mounted vertically on a wallor pole.

Numbered Embodiment 13: The access point of numbered embodiment 6,wherein the first antenna element (element of array 204) is part ofBluetooth Low Energy (BLE) antenna array 204; and wherein said accesspoint further includes a second antenna element (281) positioned insidesaid front housing (104), said second antenna element being a WiFiantenna element (281).

Numbered Embodiment 14: The access point of numbered embodiment 3,wherein said main housing (102) includes both a Bluetooth radio and aWiFi radio.

Numbered Embodiment 15: The access point of numbered embodiment 3,further comprising: an external antenna connector (1202) for connectingthe access point to an external WiFi antenna.

Numbered Embodiment 16: The access point of numbered embodiment 15,wherein said access point is a pole or wall mounted access point withsaid movable front housing (104) being positioned in a horizontalposition relative to ground or a floor beneath the access point.

Numbered Embodiment 17: The access point of numbered embodiment 16,wherein said main body 102 of said access point is positioned in avertical position while said moveable front housing (104) is positionedin a horizontal position.

Numbered Embodiment 18: The access point of numbered embodiment 17,further comprising: a position sensor (212) for detecting the positionof said moveable front housing.

Numbered Embodiment 19: The access point of numbered embodiment 18further comprising: a pressure vent (155) for venting pressure from themain housing (102).

Numbered Embodiment 20: The access point of numbered embodiment 19,further comprising: a flexible waterproof tube (255) through which wirespass from the main housing (102) to the front housing (104).

The techniques of various embodiments may be implemented using software,hardware and/or a combination of software and hardware. Variousembodiments are also directed to non-transitory machine, e.g., computer,readable medium, e g., ROM, RAM, CDs, hard discs, etc., which includemachine readable instructions for controlling a machine to implement oneor more steps of a method.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in theprocesses disclosed is an example of exemplary approaches. Based upondesign preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged while remainingwithin the scope of the present disclosure. The accompanying methodclaims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and arenot meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented. Invarious embodiments devices, e.g., access points, and nodes describedherein are implemented using one or more modules to perform the stepscorresponding to one or more methods, for example, signal generation,transmitting, processing, analyzing, and/or receiving steps. Thus, insome embodiments various features are implemented using modules. Suchmodules may be implemented using software, hardware or a combination ofsoftware and hardware. In some embodiments each module is implemented asan individual circuit with the device or system including a separatecircuit for implementing the function corresponding to each describedmodule. Many of the above described methods or method steps can beimplemented using machine executable instructions, such as software,included in a machine readable medium such as a memory device, e.g.,RAM, floppy disk, etc. to control a machine, e.g., general purposecomputer with or without additional hardware, to implement all orportions of the above described methods, e.g., in one or more nodes.Accordingly, among other things, various embodiments are directed to amachine-readable medium e.g., a non-transitory computer readable medium,including machine executable instructions for causing a machine, e.g.,processor and associated hardware, to perform one or more of the stepsof the above-described method(s). Some embodiments are directed to adevice including a processor configured to implement one, multiple orall of the steps of one or more methods of the invention.

In some embodiments, the processor or processors, e.g., CPUs, of one ormore devices, e.g., communications devices such as network managementnodes, wireless terminals (UEs), and/or access nodes, are configured toperform the steps of the methods described as being performed by thedevices. The configuration of the processor may be achieved by using oneor more modules, e.g., software modules, to control processorconfiguration and/or by including hardware in the processor, e.g.,hardware modules, to perform the recited steps and/or control processorconfiguration. Accordingly, some but not all embodiments are directed toa communications device, e.g., user equipment, with a processor whichincludes a module corresponding to each of the steps of the variousdescribed methods performed by the device in which the processor isincluded. In some but not all embodiments a communications deviceincludes a module corresponding to each of the steps of the variousdescribed methods performed by the device in which the processor isincluded. The modules may be implemented purely in hardware, e.g., ascircuits, or may be implemented using software and/or hardware or acombination of software and hardware.

Some embodiments are directed to a computer program product comprising acomputer-readable medium comprising code for causing a computer, ormultiple computers, to implement various functions, steps, acts and/oroperations, e.g. one or more steps described above. Depending on theembodiment, the computer program product can, and sometimes does,include different code for each step to be performed. Thus, the computerprogram product may, and sometimes does, include code for eachindividual step of a method, e.g., a method of operating acommunications device, e.g., a network management node, an access point,a base station, a wireless terminal or node. The code may be in the formof machine, e.g., computer, executable instructions stored on acomputer-readable medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (ReadOnly Memory) or other type of storage device. In addition to beingdirected to a computer program product, some embodiments are directed toa processor configured to implement one or more of the variousfunctions, steps, acts and/or operations of one or more methodsdescribed above. Accordingly, some embodiments are directed to aprocessor, e.g., CPU, configured to implement some or all of the stepsof the methods described herein. The processor may be for use in, e.g.,a communications device or other device described in the presentapplication.

While described in the context of a communications system includingcellular, WiFi, Bluetooth and BLE, at least some of the methods andapparatus of various embodiments are applicable to a wide range ofcommunications systems including many non-OFDM and/or non-cellularsystems.

Numerous additional variations on the methods and apparatus of thevarious embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled inthe art in view of the above description. Such variations are to beconsidered within the scope. The methods and apparatus may be, and invarious embodiments are, used with CDMA, orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexing (OFDM), WiFi, Bluetooth, BLE, and/or various other types ofcommunications techniques which may be used to provide wirelesscommunications links between access nodes and mobile nodes. In someembodiments the access nodes are implemented as base stations whichestablish communications links with user equipment devices, e.g., mobilenodes, using WiFi, Bluetooth, BLE, OFDM and/or CDMA. In variousembodiments the mobile nodes are implemented as notebook computers,personal data assistants (PDAs), or other portable devices includingreceiver/transmitter circuits and logic and/or routines, forimplementing the methods.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A network device comprising: a main housingincluding a back, the back configured to secure the network device to avertical surface in a vertical position, the back including coolingfins; a radio mounted in the main housing; a front housing; at least oneantenna element mounted in an interior of the front housing, the antennaelement operably coupled to the radio; and a hinge connected between thefront housing and the main housing such that the front housing ismovable with respect to the main housing between a closed, verticalposition and an open, horizontal position, wherein the antenna elementmounted in the interior of the front housing is movable from a verticalorientation when the front housing is in the closed, vertical positionwith respect to the main housing and a horizontal orientation when thefront housing is in the open, horizontal position with respect to themain housing.
 2. The network device of claim 1, further comprising aninner cover, the cooling fins being first cooling fins, the inner coverconfigured to seal an interior of the main housing and including secondcooling fins.
 3. The network device of claim 2, wherein the fronthousing and inner cover contact each other when the front housing is inthe closed, vertical position.
 4. The network device of claim 1, furthercomprising a bracket, the bracket secured to the main housing andconfigured to attach to the front housing so as to maintain the fronthousing in the open, horizontal position with respect to the mainhousing.
 5. The network device of claim 2, wherein the inner cover, thefront housing, and the main housing have at least two substantiallysimilar dimensions.
 6. The network device of claim 1, wherein the atleast one antenna element further includes a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)antenna matrix mounted in the interior of the front housing, and whereinthe radio is a BLE radio which is operably connected to the BLE antennamatrix.
 7. The network device of claim 6, further comprising: a Wi-Fiantenna mounted in the interior of the front housing; and a Wi-Fi radiomounted in the interior of the main housing, the Wi-Fi radio operablyconnected to the Wi-Fi antenna.
 8. The network device of claim 6,further comprising: a water resistant flexible tube coupling theinterior of the main housing to the interior of the front housing via awater resistant seal.
 9. The network device of claim 1, wherein theradio is a first radio and the at least one antenna element is a firstantenna element, the network device further comprising: a second radio,the second radio being a WiFi radio; and a second antenna elementpositioned inside the front housing, the second antenna element being aWiFi antenna element and being operably coupled to the second radio,wherein the first antenna element is part of a BLE antenna array, theBLE antenna array operably coupled to the first radio.
 10. The networkdevice of claim 9, wherein the network device is configured to bemounted vertically on a pole or wall, with the front housing in theopen, horizontal position.
 11. The network device of claim 1, furthercomprising a mounting arrangement configured to mount the main housingin a vertical position while the front housing is in the open,horizontal position.
 12. The network device of claim 11, furthercomprising a position sensor configured to detect whether the fronthousing is in the closed, vertical position or the open, horizontalposition.
 13. A network device comprising: a first means for housingelectronic components, the first means for housing electronic componentscomprising a back side, the back side including means for radiatingheat; a means for processing radio signals mounted in the first meansfor housing electronic components; a second means for housing electroniccomponents; a means for transmitting and receiving radio signals mountedin an interior of the second means for housing electronic components; ameans for varying an orientation of the first means for housingelectronic components with respect to the second means for housingelectronic components such that the means for transmitting and receivingradio signals is movable between a vertical orientation when the secondmeans for housing electronic components is in a vertical position withrespect to a main housing and a horizontal orientation when a fronthousing is in a horizontal position with respect to the main housing;and a means for mounting the network device to a vertical surface suchthat the first means for housing electronic components is mounted to thevertical surface in a vertical position, the means for mountingphysically attached to the back side of the first means for housingelectronic components.
 14. The network device of claim 13, furthercomprising means for sealing an interior of the first means for housingelectronic components, the means for sealing comprising second means forradiating heat.
 15. The network device of claim 13, further comprisingmeans for securing the orientation of the first means for housingelectronic components with respect to the second means for housingelectronic components at a substantially 90 degree angle.
 16. A networkdevice comprising: a main housing including a back, the back comprising:a mounting arrangement configured to secure the network device to avertical surface in a vertical position; and cooling fins; an innercover enclosing the main housing; a front housing movable with respectto the main housing between a closed, vertical position and an open,horizontal position; and at least one antenna element mounted in aninterior of the front housing; wherein the at least one antenna elementmounted in the interior of the front housing is movable from a verticalorientation when the front housing is in the closed, vertical positionwith respect to the main housing and a horizontal orientation when thefront housing is in the open, horizontal position with respect to themain housing.
 17. The network device of claim 16, further comprising awater resistant seal between the inner cover and the main housing. 18.The network device of claim 16, wherein the cooling fins are firstcooling fins, and wherein the inner cover comprises second cooling fins.19. The network device of claim 16, wherein the at least one antennaelement includes a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) antenna matrix mounted inan interior of the front housing, and wherein a radio mounted in aninterior of the main housing includes a BLE radio, the BLE radiooperably connected to the BLE antenna matrix.
 20. The network device ofclaim 12, further comprising: at least one processor configured tocommunicate housing position information detected by the positionsensor, the housing position information including whether the fronthousing is in the closed, vertical position or the open, horizontalposition.
 21. The network device of claim 20, wherein the housingposition information further includes at least one of a height of thenetwork device relative to ground and/or a GPS determined location ofthe network device.
 22. The network device of claim 12, wherein theposition sensor includes an accelerometer.